The Moss Files, Part 6

In this instalment, Al writes to the AMC about his near success at the first Pebble Beach Road Race, which very likely would have resulted in an Allard victory if it weren't for a bit of bad luck! Mr. Moss also provides some constructive criticism while sharing a bit of growing frustration with the build quality of the cars. Click here or the image above to read the 2 page letter.

The Moss Files, Part 5

This letter reveals some of the growing frustration between the AMC and Moss Motors. The AMC would obviously like Mr. Moss to sell more cars and Mr. Moss would like the AMC to advertise more and resolve his territory concerns with Roy Richter (Bell Auto Parts). Click here or the image above to view the full 2-page. Cheers!

Rallye Notes...

Special thanks to the Allard Owner's Club for letting us repost this story...

Notes from a Nervous Navigator on
Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique 2012  -  29 Jan to 4 Feb

Car No:239:- 1950, Allard P1
Driver – David Loveys, Co-driver – Roger Loveys

In January 2011 David announced his intention to enter the rally to mark the achievement of Sidney Allard winning the Monte-Carlo 60 years ago. It was only when I was presented with the application form to check that I knew this was a serious project. I immediately started my research and discovered Richard Disbrow, a driver who had completed the rally in 2011. Richard proved to be brilliant. I met up with him and he always responded immediately to my email requests for information and did his best to alert us to the extreme nature of the event – “Its unbelievable, a flat out road race from start to finish. I don’t know how the French allow it on their roads”. I also arranged to drive to Nice to visit friends so that I could check out part of the route and familiarise myself with driving and navigating in France, something I had not done for over 20 years.

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Mecum Auction Preview - K3 3182

On May 19, Allard K3 3182 will be sold at Mecum’s Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis,  IN. This K3 was ordered on 9-9-52 and shipped on 5-25-53 to Noel Kirk Motors in Los Angeles. The car had “bright red” paint with black leather interior and disc wheels. It was shipped with Cadillac engine modifications. The car is currently painted burgundy with brown interior and was converted to wire wheels. Powered is delivered via a Cadillac 331 and automatic transmission. It should be noted that the left hand shift linkage (between driver & door) has been retained with the automatic transmission conversion. No estimate is provided. If you are interested in this car, please click here to visit Mecum’s web site.

Two Green K3’s on a Play Date

 

To the casual observer these two ‘British racing green’ Allard K3’s might seem identical. However, in many respects, they are at opposite ends of the Allard K3 spectrum.

3192 left the Allard factory set up for Cadillac power, and was delivered to Noel Kirk Motors in Los Angeles in July 1953. The original owner put 23,000 miles on it before knee problems forced him to park it in 1962. It spent the next 17 years in hibernation until Dr. Martin Allard purchased it in 1979. The only work required to get it roadworthy was some minor tweaking to free up the stuck Lincoln Zephyr gearbox. The 59 year-old Caddie, along with entire drive train and suspension, are original and virtually untouched.

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The Moss Files, Part 4

Today's post is a pretty rare item...a factory-dealer invoice for K2-2081 stating the features ordered, along with the 25% discount. My favorite part of this invoice? The black box letterhead. Click here or the photo below to view the pdf.

The Moss Files, Part 3

Today's installment features a letter from Mr. Davis confirming Moss Motors as a distributor. It's interesting to note that the J2 was not priced at a premium...in fact it was their most affordable car! This isn't a big surprise since the J2 is such a simple car in comparison to the K2, P, and M-types. As a bonus, page 2 is a brief announcement of Allard's 3rd place finish in Le Mans just a day earlier. Click here or the photo above to view the 2-page pdf.

The Moss Files, Part 2

Here's a great letter from January 30, 1950. Mr. Davis is writing to Al about Roy Richter who's Bell Auto Parts have been given the rights to sell the J2...the only problem is that Bell Auto Parts is located within Moss Motors' exclusive sales territory. Additionally, Mr. Davis also outlines all of the exterior paint, interior leather, and cloth top colors. Click here or the photo below to view the pdf.

The Moss Files, Part 1

Apart from being a shrewd businessman, Al Moss was also a historian. Whereas most Allard dealers tossed out their old papers, Al saved a treasure trove of air mail letters and telegram correspondence between himself and the Allard Motor Company. We are pleased to announce that Al has passed this documentation onto us so we can share them digitially with all Allard enthusiasts. Over time, we'll share the more interesting documents.

To get us started, here's a letter from the Guv'nor himself. This is the only letter from Sydney addressed to Al. All other correspondence was from either Mr. Davis (Export Manager) or the Service Department. Click here or the image below to view it as apdf. Enjoy!

The Other Moss...

By Chuck Warnes

I’ve just finished reading Alan Moss’ delightful, light-hearted autobiography entitled “The Other Moss – My Life With Cars and Horses.”

E. Alan Moss (he refuses to divulge what the “E” stands for) opened a foreign car repair shop Los Angeles in the late 1940’s, and also tried his hand at a couple of import car dealerships. One such venture was his role as the West Coast distributor for Allard in the early 1950’s. The Allard Register #39 (Summer 2004) issue is largely devoted to abstracts of insightful, and often frank correspondence between Moss and Allard in The Moss Files.

Over the next few years Moss Motors segued into after-market parts sales when he published his first MG parts catalogue in 1962.  Moss Motors had become an industry leader in that field by 1977, when Al sold out to a friend and went into a semi-retirement. Many of us have had occasion to use Moss Motors’ services for our Allard and British car projects.

In this book Alan also shares his sports car racing experiences from the early 50’s, along with his role in helping to organize and officiate sports car competitions in the early days of the sport on the West Coast.

He has since moved to Sedona AZ, which has served as his base for vintage racing his 1948 MGTC that he has owned since new, along with a stint of rebuilding and racing a Morgan trike.

Alan’s closing line in this book, “Remember, it’s never too late to have a happy childhood.” is a fitting summary to a life well lived.

If you’d like buy a copy of the book you can send Al a check for check for $22. Postage is included and he would be happy to sign each one if so desired. Al’s address is below:

Alan Moss
1015 Soldier Pass
Sedona, AZ 86336
racermoss@esedona.net